Portable rail drills



Sept. 20, 1966 R. HUGHES PORTABLE RAIL DRILLS 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed April 9, 1964 INT INVENTOR.

RALPH HUGH ES WITNESS www ATTORNEY Sept. 20, 1966 R. HUGHES 3,273,424

PORTABLE RAIL DRILLS Filed April 9, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 32 3| 3o INVENTOR RALPH HUGHES ATTORNEY United States Patent Oce Patented Sept. 20, 1966 3,273,424 PORTABLE RAIL DRILLS Ralph Hughes, Graysville, Tenn., assiguor to The Singer Company, New York, NPY., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Apr. 9, 1964, Ser. No. 358,499 4 Claims. (Cl. 77-11) This invention relates to -a portable railroad rail drill and particularly to a drill especially adapted for drilling bolt holes in the web of the rail.

In a railroad roadbed, each of the rails usually consists of a plurality of endwise butted rail sections that are secured together by lishplates which lap the adjacent ends of the rails and are bolted to the webs thereof. To facilitate the alignment of the bolt holes inthe fishplate and in the web, the holes in the web of the rail may be drilled in the rail when it is in place in the roadbed. The present invention relates to a drill of the type used for drilling bolt holes in the rails of a railroad roadbed while the rails are in place.

The objects of this invention are to provide such a rail drill having improved means for supporting and driving the same, and which drill is simple, accurate and etlicien-t and which is sufficiently lightweight so that it can conveniently be handled by one operator.

Having in mind the above and other objects that will be evident from an understanding of this disclosure, the invention comprises the devices, combinations and arrangements of parts as illustrated in the presently preferred embodiment of the invention which is hereinafter set forth -in such detail as to enable those skilled in the art readily to understand the function, operation, construction and advantages of it when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational View of a device in accordance with this invention positioned ou a pair of rails which are in section,

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the device of FIG. l,

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the clamping and drilling of the device,

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of the end of the device opposite from that of FIG. 3,

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view similar to FIG. 1, but illustrating the device in operation.

With reference to the drawings there is illustrated a rail drill comprising a base member in the form of a plate 1 which is adapted to be disposed between a pair of rails 2 mounted in the roadbed of a railroad. The rear of the base plate 1 is supported Iby a rearwardly extending, preferably tubular, arm 3 which rests on the top of one of the trails 2. To provide for vertical adjustment of the plate 1, the arm 3 is pivotally mounted at its inner end on the plate 1 by a horizontal pivot pin 4 and a bracket 5 upstanding from the plate 1 while intermediate its ends it is engaged by an adjusting screw 6 that is threaded vertically through a horizontal plate 7 of the bracket 8 that also includes vertical side mem-bers 9, FIG. 4, which are disposed upon opposite sides of the arm 3 and serve to guide it vertically. The front end of the plate 1 is supported for vertical adjustment on the opposite one of the rails 2 by ya pair of adjusting screws 10 that are threaded downwardly through an extension or plate 11 secured, as 'by screws 12, to the plate 1. The bottom ends of the screws 10 rest on top of the rail 2 at points spaced longitudinally of the rail. In this manner the plate 1 is adapted to rest upon the `rails 2 and is adapted to be adjusted vertically as well as to be leveled relatively to the rails, the three point support including the line contact of the arm 3 on the rail contributing to the stability of the plate 1 and the leveling of it.

Depending from the plate 1 at the front edge thereof at each end are a pair of brackets 13 each of which has a forwardly extending abutment 14 adapted to engage the web of the rail 2. On the plate 1 over the brackets 13 are a pair of guide sleeves 1'5 which receive rods 16 for endwise sliding longitudinally of the plate 1. At their forward ends, the rods 16 are connected together by a cross piece 1'7 connected at yits ends to ears 18 secured to the rods, and each of the rods 16 is provided with a clamping arm 19 having a free end 2t) opposed to the abutments 14 and adapted to engage the web of the rail 2 opposite the abutment 14 The rear end of each of the rods 16 is connected to the piston .rod 21 of Ia hydraulic cylinder 22 which is mounted at its end on the plate 1 by `a bracket 23. Fluid under pressure is .adapted to be fed to and exhausted from the front of the cylinder 22 yby a line 24. When fluid is fed to the cylinder 22, the piston rod 21 is retracted to pull the rods 16 and thus move the clamping arms 19 toward the rail 2 and to clamp the rail 2 between the free end 2li of the arm 19 and the abutment 14. In this manner the drill is locked to the rail.

On the underside of the plate 1 and extending longitudinally thereof are a pair of spaced parallel guides 25 having bevelled opposed edges which slidably receive a drill support in the form of a slide plate 26. Depending from ,the slide plate 26 is a hydraulically actuated rotary motor 27 having a chuck 28 for securing la drill bit 29 to the output shaft thereof. Fluid under pressure is fed to and exhausted from the motor 2'7 by conduits 30. Depending from the plate 1 behind the motor 27 are a pair of lugs 31 which support a hydraulic cylinder 32, the piston rod 33 of which is connected to the 'housing of the motor 27. Fluid under pressure is fed to and exhausted from both ends of the cylinder 33 by conduits 34, whereby the motor 27 together with the drill bit 29 may be forced toward and withdrawn from the -rail 2.

When the drill in accordance with this invention is used to drill bolt-holes 4in rails, the device, with the various conduits connected to a source of fluid under pressure, is laid on the rails 2 with the abutment 14 in engagement with the web of that one of Athe rails to `be drilled and the ends of the adjusting screws 1t) resting on that rail and the arm 3 resting on the other rail with the plate 1 vertically adjusted and leveled relatively to the rails, which is accomplished through the screws d and 1d, so that the bit 29 is disposed to drill through the web of the rail at the desired point, fluid under pressure is admitted to the front of the cylinders 22 through the conduits 24, thereby retracting the rods 16 and clamping the web of the rail between the abutments 14 and the ends 2li of the arms 19. The unit is thus clamped to the rail. With the fluid motor 27 in operation, iluid under pressure is admitted to the rear of the cylinder 32, thereby forcing the bit 29 againstv the web of the rail. After the drilling operation is completed, iluid under pressure is admitted to the front of `the cylinder 32 to retract the drill, after which the cylinders 22 are exhausted to unclamp the drill from the rail.

Numerous alterations of the structure herein disclosed will suggest themselves to those skilled. in the art. However, it is to be understood that the present disclosure relates to a preferred embodiment of my invention which is for purposes of illustration only and not to be construed as a limitation of the invention. All such modications which do not depart from the spirit of the invention are intended to be included within thel scope of the appended claims.

Having thus set forth the nature of our invention, what we claim herein is:

1. A rail drill for drilling a rail in place in the roadbed of a railroad comprising a base member, means for supporting said base member on a pair of spaced rails for adjustment relatively to said rails, means for releasably clamping said base member to that one of the rails that is to be drilled, a support, means for mounting said support on said base member for sliding movement 'in a direction toward and away from said one of the rails, a rotary drill mounted on said support, means for moving said support to advance said drill into and to retract the same from drilling relation with the rail to be drilled, said means for releasably clamping the base member to the rail comprising a pair of abutments secured to said base member on opposite sides of said drill, a pair of clamping arms having free ends opposed to said -abutments and slidably mounted on said base member for movement of the free ends of the clamping arm toward and away from the abutments, and lmeans on said base member for moving said clamping arms toward the abutments, said clamping arms and abutments being adapted for relative movement substantially in the same plane as said drill is movable.

2. A rail drill in accordance with claim ll in which the means for slidably mounting the clamping arms on the base member comprise guide sleeves and rods slidably received within said guide sleeves and carrying said clamping arms, and in which the means for moving the clamping means toward the abutments comprises hydraulic cylinders.

3. A rail drill for drilling a rail in place lin the roadbed of a railroad comprising; a base member, means for supporting said base member on a pair of spaced rails for adjustment relatively to said rails, means for releasably clamping said base member to that one of the rails to be drilled, a support, means for mounting said support on said base member for sliding movement in a direction toward and away from said one of the rails, a rotary drill mounted `on said support to advance said drill into and to retract the same from drilling relation with Athe rail to be drilled, said means for Kadjustably supporting said base member comprising a pair of adjusting screws at one end of said base member adapted to rest endwise on the rail at spaced points along the same, a supporting arm eX- tending from said base member at the opposite end thereof, said supporting arm being pivotally connected to said base member at one point and being engaged by lan adjusting screw on said base member for adjusting the angle of said supporting arm relatively to said base member.

4. A rail drill in accordance with claim 3 `in which the supporting arm is tubular.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS FRANCIS S. HUSAR, Primary Examiner. 

1. A RAIL DRILL FOR DRILLING A RAIL IN PLACE IN THE ROADBED OF A RAILROAD COMPRISING A BASE MEMBER, MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SAID BASE MEMBER ON A PAIR OF SPACED RAILS FOR ADJUSTMENT RELATIVELY TO SAID RAILS, MEANS FOR RELEASABLY CLAMPING SAID BASE MEMBER TO THAT ONE OF THE RAILS THAT IS TO BE DRILLED, A SUPPORT, MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID SUPPORT ON SAID BASE MEMBER FOR SLIDING MOVEMENT IN DIRECTION TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID ONE OF THE RAILS, A ROTARY DRILL MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT, MEANS FOR MOVING SAID SUPPORT TO ADVANCE SAID DRILL INTO AND TO RETRACT THE SAEM FROM DRILLING RELATION WITH THE RAIL TO BE DRILLED, SAID MEANS FOR RELEASABLY CLAMPING THE BASE MEMBER TO THE RAIL COMPRISING A PAIR OF ABUTMENTS SECURED TO SAID BASE MEMBER ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID DRILL, A PAIR OF CLAMPING ARMS HAVING FREE ENDS OPPOSED TO SAID ABUTMENTS AND SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON SAID BASE MEMBER FOR MOVEMENT OF THE FREE ENDS OF THE CLAMPING ARM TOWARD AND AWAY FROM THE ABUTMENTS, AND MEANS ON SAID BASE MEMBER FOR MOVING SAID CLAMPING ARMS TOWARD THE ABUTMENTS, SAID CLAMPING ARMS AND ABUTMENTS BEING ADAPTED FOR RELATIVE MOVEMENT SUBSTANTIALLY IN THE SAME PLANE AS SAID DRILL IS MOVABLE. 